VALLEY CITY, N.D. — When Andrew and Caroline Gunderson welcomed three baby girls into the world on May 15, 1913, the Weekly Times-Record could hardly contain its excitement.

“It isn’t often that the parents of two or more children see their families double overnight,” the paper reported, marveling that the smallest of the trio weighed “a trifle over seven pounds.”

(Yes, you read that right. The smallest of the babies was over 7 pounds. Poor Mrs. Gunderson was carrying more than 21 pounds of baby.)

The Gundersons already had three daughters, so the arrival of triplets suddenly turned their home into a household of six girls — an event that quickly made news across the state. (The family eventually included a seventh child, a boy.)

“They came into the world last night, and three lustier-

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